


of fucked up haircuts and bad decisions

by cresczent



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Bad Decisions, Demigods, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Haircuts, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jeon Wonwoo is Whipped, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Yoon Jeonghan is Bad at Feelings, best friends! wonhan, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26773588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cresczent/pseuds/cresczent
Summary: Son of Aphrodite Yoon Jeonghan makes a groundbreaking discovery, courtesy of Jeon Wonwoo's new hairdo.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	of fucked up haircuts and bad decisions

At the dawn of the winter solstice, just minutes before dinner, with Jeonghan waiting for Wonwoo to come out of the Athena cabin so that they could walk together to the mess hall like they always do, leaning against the sturdy pillars of the gray building like he always has — was when the Aphrodite kid belatedly realizes something so groundbreaking it made him sprint away from his spot as fast as his usually-uncoordinated legs could take him, leaving Wonwoo, the reason he was waiting fifteen minutes for, and his (very) nosy siblings dumbfounded at the sudden situation.

Children of Athena _do_ tend to put noses in places it doesn't belong to, shooting questions they weren't supposed to. It is so much worse in situations that involve their siblings — especially if it's their quiet, seemingly stoic brother Jeon Wonwoo and _especially_ if he's sporting an unusual, brightly-colored orange hair. 

While it wasn't really new for Yoon Jeonghan to ditch people when he's not feeling it, or, alternatively, when he forgets that he's even meeting people. Wonwoo is the only person Jeonghan is willing to make time for (and, most of the time, the man he ditches for without any reservations).

Usually, anywhere Wonwoo is, Jeonghan is sure to follow, or vice versa. Like two peas in a pod, except Jeonghan has this extreme hatred for peas and Wonwoo doesn't like the thought of being suffocated in a pod.

So, the fact that he just ran out of sight the moment he saw the Athena kid walk out of the cabin threw everyone within range into confusion. 

Wonwoo dismisses the burning stare their cabin leader is giving him through their window.

Bottom line is, Jeonghan was never like this with anything that involves his supposed best friend. And Wonwoo, well... Let's say he's not the type to do anything remotely weird or reckless, because that person is Jeonghan, too. 

Wonwoo brings his hand up to his hair and chuckles. 

Among the vast knowledge of the universe that comes from being a child of the goddess of wisdom and his severe attachment to reading more about what he doesn't understand: styling his hair is one of the few territories his brain is completely unfamiliar with, next to "knowing how to deal and properly express his feelings."

He knew he should've sought out the advice of a few of Jeonghan's siblings, specifically a certain fellow named Hong Joshua, maybe then they would've prevented him from doing a _very_ bad job at making life decisions (on second thought, they'd initiate it). Maybe then he wouldn't have fucked up his hair as worse than he was aiming it to be (they'd purposely make it worse, somehow). 

Shaking his head, Wonwoo calmly walks towards the path Jeonghan disappeared into. 

"Is it _that_ bad, Jeonghan?" Joshua stifles a laugh at Jeonghan's pitiful figure sprawled across his bed despite being annoyed at how his sibling interrupted his short, yet quiet time for himself just before the chaos called dinner time. 

Joshua was just about done organizing his clothes when the older one came in, twenty minutes after he said he was going to Wonwoo's cabin, freaking out over his best friend's quote and quote, fucked up hair.

He watches as Jeonghan plopped unceremoniously on his then-neatly made bed. ("It's a monstrosity, Joshua! It's orange and styled like a freakin' bowl-cut! It's something a five-year-old with safety scissors would've done! Stop laughing!")

Jeonghan's groans are muffled, probably because he's laying face down on the bed. Joshua knows it's not a very good thing to do since his brother would probably be suffocated, but made no moves to say it out loud. He can only hope that Jeonghan doesn't entirely sniff the lavender scent off his precious duvet.

"I don't think it could've been bad enough to warrant a crisis on my bed unless it's entirely about something else," the younger Aphrodite kid said, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to his, Hyungwon's. "Besides, we've gone through different phases of fucked up haircuts in the past, nothing can ever faze me now, if we're being honest."

Last summer, Soonyoung thought it was a great decision (it was, in all ways, _not_ something a sensible person would say) to let Seokmin, another individual who doesn't know shit about haircuts, style his hair. The rest of their circle of friends knows otherwise, hopelessly watching the whole ordeal unfold, eyes and ears burning as Soonyoung, and most definitely his scalp, cry for mercy. Soonyoung's hair ended up being so chemically damaged Joshua had to pray for their mother for some fixing. 

Before that was another bad case of dyeing; Seungcheol had to wear caps and beanies for the rest of the summer to hide his red-blotched hair and Joshua had tried to fix it by trimming, keyword: tried. 

Also not to mention that time Mingyu lost a dare with Seungkwan and he had to color his hair in the shades of the rainbow for a whole month.

It was, admittedly, not their best moments, and Joshua could only hope he wouldn't have to end up doing the same thing. Gods, he really hopes not. 

Joshua wasn't able to catch Jeonghan's mumbling under his breath, still mentally cringing at the images that haunted his dreams at night. He transfers from his spot on Hyungwon's bed to his and leans towards the older to repeat what was just said, "What was that?" 

"I said," Jeonghan huffs, lifting his face from the covers that then revealed his agitated face and reddened cheeks. It was a look Joshua hasn't seen in Jeonghan ever since the older arrived in camp, so he's allowed to stare in astonishment.

Then finally, Jeonghan continues, "I might be in love with Wonwoo, Joshua." 

_"Oh,_ Jeonghan." Joshua couldn't really stop the smile from slipping his lips, so he braced himself for the pillow that was smacked to him a beat after, courtesy of his face-flushed brother.

He feels like winning, in more ways than one. Joshua made it his mission to rub it all over Wonwoo's face the moment he's free to do so (which he knows is _very, very_ near). 

He tucks a strand of Jeonghan's blonde hair behind the older's ear, softly smiling, in contrast to the truth bomb he's about to drop next. He leans closer to his brother's ear and whispers, voice laced with venom. "You're literally the last person to ever realize that. Fucking finally, you dense and stupid little gremlin."

"I'm literally taller than you."

"Your point?" Joshua tilts his head as if challenging the older to refute. Jeonghan sighs to himself, knowing Joshua's just as stubborn as he is. "It still took you long enough, though."

Joshua amusingly watches Jeonghan struggle to find the right words, only for the older to end up spouting incoherent noises in frustration at every attempt at an explanation. It doesn't seem like his brother doesn't know how to deal with his newfound discovery, which was _very_ late, kind of ironic since he's a child of the goddess of love. "I thought we were going to go up an extent spewing love nonsense until we die… or something." 

"Whatever do you mean?"

Joshua didn't need to be a child of the wisdom goddess to know that this is when it's time to keep his mouth shut, "All you need to know is mom would be proud of me, that's all."

"What for?" Jeonghan rises slightly from his position, brows raised. "You haven't gone on any quests for weeks. Did you retrieve her pearl earrings accidentally somewhere?"

"None of the sort."

"Then why?"

"It does not concern you, Jeonghan."

"Then why did you even bother saying it?" Jeonghan groans, burrowing his face under Joshua's covers again. It smells a lot like Wonwoo during springtime, he instinctively thought.

He whines again. Nevermind what his brother's sheets might've smelt like, at that pitiful moment, Jeonghan just knew he's fucked.

And no, not as fucked as the mess Wonwoo will have to call his hair — but _almost._ Because even though he'd rather pluck his eyes out than stare at the abomination the Athena kid has on top of his head, Jeonghan still thinks of Wonwoo as if the other holds the entire Olympus in his eyes and Jeonghan's heart in his hands, which, figuratively speaking, has been nothing but the truth all this time.

Joshua's delighted, and not to mention, smug face turns into confusion at the same time Jeonghan's own morphs into horror. "This is bad," the older mumbles, still in his reverie.

Joshua had to wait for a minute before Jeonghan snapped out of it, turning to the younger with wide eyes, the kind of look he'd pull if he ever faces a minotaur. "I can't be in love with my best friend, Josh. It'll ruin everything. Oh, no. This is bad."

"How can you say that, Jeonghan?" Joshua wanted to assure Jeonghan that he doesn't have to worry about the younger reciprocating the feeling, but realizes that he had intervened enough.

Still, seeing Jeonghan, who is usually the composed and confident one between the two, falter at the thought of his relationship with the Athena kid going to shambles because of this revelation, is a sight Joshua doesn't want to see again.

He still has a soft heart for his brother, after all. 

Joshua scoots closer to his brother, hoping that a side hug can somehow ease Jeonghan's growing anxiety.

"Nothing will be ruined, Jeonghan. Wonwoo completely _adores_ you. And it's not like something will change either way since you have been acting like it since the beginning. If anything, it all depends on how you'll let it affect your relationship with him," Joshua then puts a consoling hand on Jeonghan's back, rubbing it gently.

"And if I may kindly suggest, don't fuck it up."

Jeonghan whines like a kid, his hands curled into small fists. 

He only stopped when the door to the Aphrodite cabin opened, both of them turning to it when Jeonghan's human dilemma entered the room. 

"What in the _Hades_ were you thinking, Jeon Wonwoo?" Joshua manages to say in-between his laughing fit, almost falling into the floor when Wonwoo steps into view. Jeonghan, on the other hand, is trying (and failing miserably) to appear nonchalant while staring at their expected visitor. 

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, hands carding his hair. "Shut up, Joshua."

Joshua can somehow hear the unspoken, _"You're_ _literally the one who suggested this,"_ lingering in the air as Wonwoo stares him down. 

Wonwoo then turns to Jeonghan with a smile set on his lips, Joshua snorts at this.

As to why Jeonghan can't see that Wonwoo is just as fucked (excluding the Athena kid’s hair, because that was a completely different thing) as Jeonghan is beyond Joshua's comprehension. "Hey, you. It's time for dinner. Get your ass up if you still want your enchiladas or else Mingyu is going to devour it all."

Wonwoo deliberately ignores all the attention the infamous trio, those who call themselves _booseoksoon:_ Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung from the Hermes cabin, brought to his orange, and badly-styled hair during dinner.

In the midst of it all, he catches Jihoon's stare and shoots him a knowing smile, repeating the same process with Seungcheol on the other side of the hall. Both his friends from the Apollo table gave him a thumbs-up and went back to eating their dinner. 

Minghao, his good friend from the Dionysus cabin and the one who slips him red bull during guard duty, volunteers to fix his hair for him when they are lining up for dessert. Wonwoo declines, saying he's doing it all for a reason. 

Jeonghan, from the Aphrodite table, battles to the death (or, most appropriately, cheats his way through) with Mingyu for the last enchilada they're allowed to have for the day. Him being stressed about the fact that he's now aware that he's in love with his best friend intensified his competitiveness tenfold, therefore biting half of the enchilada while Mingyu was still in the middle of passionately explaining the rules of rock-paper-scissors. 

Jeonghan smugly chews the rest of it as he watches the Hephaestus child crumble at the unfortunate situation, the Aphrodite table erupting into cheers. 

Same old, same old. 

Jeonghan is pissed at Jihoon for putting the thought in his head. 

Jeonghan, an expert in having ulterior motives, should've known something was up the moment Jihoon sauntered his way to the strawberry fields one sunny afternoon. It was particularly chilly in the camp that day despite how bright the sun was shining, unaware of the storm that Jihoon is about to cause in Jeonghan's head. 

He was in the mood to help Jun and the rest of the Demeter kids in tending and harvesting strawberries to sell for the Delphi Strawberry Service. He had no plans for today, and Wonwoo, unfortunately, has archery practice up until the evening, so Jeonghan wouldn't be able to annoy him. 

Jeonghan had once thought Jihoon was a child of Athena when he first met him, the aura of intimidation Athena kids usually have oozed from the younger one even before Wonwoo introduced them both. Jihoon was quiet, making him quite difficult to approach because it always seemed like he'd bite (he does, don't ask how Jeonghan knew). 

Jeonghan wasn't easily intimidated, but Jihoon's scrutinizing gaze made him scoot closer to Wonwoo and ask the man quietly if Jihoon was a sibling of his. Wonwoo laughed and shook his head no. No, Jeonghan learns later that day that Lee Jihoon is an amazingly talented child of Apollo, and, in the long run, someone who rarely goes outside his own studio and barely knows the feeling of having the ray of sun hitting his face. 

"Hey, Jeonghan. What are you up to?"

Jeonghan holds up his basket full of strawberries. "Helping out."

"Cool. Can I tag along?" Jihoon rolls his eyes when the other almost drops his basket in surprise.

"It was getting too stuffy in the studio and I couldn't concentrate, so I thought I'd get some fresh air," he explains. After a minute, Jeonghan, albeit reluctant, nods, it's not all the time Jihoon willingly spends time under the sun anyway. 

As it turns out, letting Jihoon, an equally sly kid, accompany him is a bad idea. Proven so when his grip on the baskets subconsciously tightens when Jihoon nonchalantly brings up the topic of love to the older one. It was so casual that even an Aphrodite kid like Jeonghan had a hard time processing it, staring at Jihoon until his arms gave out on carrying the fruits. He drops them eventually. 

"What do you mean there's a science to having crushes and what does it have to do with fucking up someone's hair?" Jeonghan, with his arms sore, blurts out after a few seconds of stunned silence. "I've never heard of that before. Hey, have you been sneaking searches on the Internet? Wonwoo says it's all bull."

Jihoon snorts, crouching down to pick up the fallen strawberries and dust dirt off it. "You mean to say that you haven't had a fleeting crush on anyone in camp to notice the difference?"

Now that Jeonghan has thought about it, he hasn’t had one in the past. He slowly shakes his head. He wonders if Wonwoo would've been the same, or if the Athena kid could save him from the mind game Jihoon is playing at him if he was here.

"No." Some goddess of love's child Jeonghan is, really. "I haven't." He wonders if Wonwoo would know the difference.

Jihoon nods as if he had always known. Jeonghan remains rooted on his spot, genuinely confused, even as Jihoon finishes putting all the fallen strawberries back into the basket. "Figures. You wouldn't know unless it happens to you, I guess."

Then, another statement, "Wonwoo has never had a bad haircut, no?"

Jeonghan hums, "No. I don't think so. What does he have to do with this?" 

"Everything," Jihoon drops it at that, carrying the baskets Jeonghan was holding on to earlier and left the older one in his wake. 

He sees Jun approach the Jihoon from a distance, laughing about something Jeonghan wouldn't be able to know.

He stares in their direction even after the duo has long gone, the strawberry fields emptying one by one since dawn is fast approaching. Jeonghan continues to stare blankly at nothing after finding a bench to sit on, his brain on a mission to shoot down the thought of Wonwoo's name that for some reason — reasons he didn't even want to acknowledge and whoever asks about it will have a dagger stuck in their throat — is threatening to burst at the seams. 

He was eventually fished out of his reverie when the owner of the name sits beside him, already launching into an entire monologue about a tiff that happened during practice and doesn't even bother for a hello. 

Jeonghan turns to look at Wonwoo while he's in the middle of talking, picking up bits and pieces from the other's rant, like Hansol almost missing Seokmin's head by a hairline and the other exclaiming he's lost ten years of his life because of it. He also picks up Wonwoo's pride in having to score perfect bullseyes earlier, the burst of the same emotion emanating from him, too, if not more. 

He nods at appropriate moments, smiling whenever Wonwoo does. His eyes travel to Wonwoo's damp, blue hair every five seconds, the vague information Jihoon mentioned earlier making its way back in his mind. Curse Lee Jihoon, really. 

"Is there something on my hair?" Wonwoo abruptly stops talking, noticing that Jeonghan's attention was somewhere else and subconsciously brushes up the fringe that has been sticking on his forehead. 

For the second time that day, Jeonghan struggles to find better words. "What?"

"You were staring at it, idiot."

"Dirt," Jeonghan immediately mumbles, eyes darting away from Wonwoo's hair. "You have dirt on your hair, Wonwoo."

Jeonghan also ignores the burst of warmth that spreads not only on his face but also in his chest, skillfully directing Wonwoo’s attention away from him.

He swallows his smile when Wonwoo moves to get rid of the dirt on his hair, asking Jeonghan if it's gone already, seemingly buying his excuse. 

There wasn't even any, but Jeonghan still nodded so the younger one would stop fussing. Wonwoo continues to talk to him about someone he doesn't know, _Pythagoras_ something, Wonwoo knows a lot of people he doesn't. He was not completely listening. He barely knows anything Wonwoo talks to him about, but he listens — sometimes. Not now, though. 

Wonwoo talked until the bell rang for dinner, even when they arrived at the mess hall.

He stopped only when Jeonghan skids into a halt, eyes zeroing on Mingyu while the Hepheastus kid was currently hoarding all the enchiladas on the dinner table, his thoughts about Wonwoo completely dispersed as fast as it lingered, too. 

Wonwoo laughs in mirth as he watches Jeonghan tackle the kid to the ground, amused at his best friend's addiction to the camp's enchiladas to the point that he'd be willing to fight Mingyu, a person who is a head taller than him, for it. Even after everyone has told him that the mess hall never really runs out of food. 

"You're so whipped," he hears someone from his left say. Wonwoo looks just in time to see Chan, the Ares kid he's had the pleasure of sparring with a few dozens of times, bite his own enchilada. 

He squints at the other in disgust when some bits of meat and sauce drip off his chin, yet moves to wipe it off anyway. Chan mutters a small thanks before continuing, much to Wonwoo's dismay. "I'm surprised that Jeonghan hasn't even noticed when you're literally shooting heart eyes at him all the time. Gross."

"Mind your own business, kid."

"Rude," Chan sticks his tongue at him and joins his siblings sitting on their table. 

"It's rude to stare," Wonwoo, without having to turn around, tells off the boy who has been hovering over his back. 

Wonwoo had been there when the pretty kid was dropped off by his aunt just outside the borders. His aunt, being a mortal, could only stay outside of it, only pushing the kid and storming off after she's sure that no one will definitely harm the other. 

He continued to watch as the other's supposed company, a satyr named Kihyun, rushed inside camp almost immediately, shrieking something about having to go to the toilet and left the other to his own. The other guy's face reminded Wonwoo of the beauty that Aphrodite would be jealous of, even when he's wearing a tattered shirt (probably from an attack before their arrival or a case of _very_ bad driving skills) and his hair disheveled. 

He feels kind of responsible to at least guide the new guy inside, but Wonwoo digging for thirty minutes close to the borders for a different reason. He grins in triumph as the dagger he's been looking for became visible from the ground he's currently making a hole in.

Wonwoo was about to head back to camp, satisfied with how his escapade had turned out when he noticed the other kid was still staring at him, still standing from where Wonwoo saw him last, pretty eyes filled with something even an Athena kid couldn't decipher; Worry? Relief? Fear? He wasn't quite sure. 

Nonetheless, the guy looks like he could use some help. 

After a few minutes of silence, the other kid spoke, "You're covered in dirt."

Nevermind helping. Wonwoo tilts his head, "What?" 

The new kid shrugs, pulling out a handkerchief from his shorts and proceeds to wipe the dirt that got in Wonwoo's face, also going on his toes to pull out a leaf from the younger's auburn hair. He smiles, satisfied, not at all embarrassed by his actions, in contrast to Wonwoo, who stood frozen in place. 

Wonwoo blurts out a timid "thank you," before pulling out a piece of fabric from his brown satchel and awkwardly slathered his whole face again, just to clean off any excess dirt the guy's nimble fingers didn't get (or in hopes to also erase the redness that spread throughout his face).

He then used the piece of cloth to clean off the dagger he just pulled out from the ground a while ago, wrapping the weapon in it and safely securing it inside his satchel. 

"I'm Yoon Jeonghan. I'm new," the guy's voice cut through the silence, hands reaching out to the other for a handshake. 

There was a sliver of hesitation from Wonwoo, thinking that the guy can be somewhat deceiving him — with his angel-like face and the beautiful, blinding smile he's throwing at the Athena kid's way. Jeon Wonwoo was taught to not trust other people too easily, to not let his guard down at all times — yet what was he doing, suppressing a smile when he saw Jeonghan light up at the moment he shook the other's hands? 

And, worst, "I'm Jeon Wonwoo, son of Athena." 

Jeonghan's smile widens even more, and Wonwoo thinks he needs to take a trip to the infirmary because he might be going blind or he might be suffering a heart condition from how fast his heart was beating per second, especially after he felt a spike when Jeonghan, in his most cheerful tone, says, "Hi, Wonwoo! Nice to meet you. To be honest, I'm so fucking scared to do this alone. So, uh, with that being said, can you maybe… accompany me?"

Wonwoo, despite having to think about and question every little thing that exists in the world for the past fifteen years of his life didn't even take a second before nodding, his resolve in shreds after seeing Jeonghan's hopeful face. "Okay." 

"Okay,"

On their way to camp, with Wonwoo being the gentleman that he is and carrying Jeonghan's surprisingly light luggage in exchange for the other carrying his satchel, he learns that Jeonghan has a beautiful laugh. He keeps the conversation flowing despite Wonwoo's inability to hold small conversations; Jeonghan is a year older than him, lived with his aunt after his father died in a car accident when he was ten. He learns that Jeonghan doesn't like to do anything that is physically straining and will probably suck at combat. 

For the fifth time that day, Wonwoo tucks the sound Jeonghan's laugh into his heart and the picture of the older one's eyes crinkling with delight while he's throwing his head back. He subconsciously slaps Wonwoo's arms a few dozens of times as he does so, having that sense of familiarity as if they've been friends for a long time and not just a few minutes ago — Wonwoo strangely feels the same way. 

They both walk up to the Big House, no more than a raised brow from Chiron at Wonwoo's surprising presence besides the new kid, but doesn't prod. He takes Jeonghan by the hand and leads him to the old, but still, sturdy building, chuckling slightly at Jeonghan's slew of questions even before they disappeared from Wonwoo's sight.

Jeonghan couldn't hide his gladness to have found the Athena kid waiting for him outside later that day, too. 

"Hey," Wonwoo looks up from his book and gives Jeonghan a shy smile. "Do you know where the Hermes cabin is?"

Jeonghan remembers getting pinned down by none other than Wonwoo in his first Capture the Flag game. 

He was on flag duty for the Aphrodite cabin alongside Seungcheol, the Apollo team cabin leader. Both cabins, along with the Hephaestus kids, were teamed up today against the Athena, Ares, and Hermes cabins — which, Jeonghan thinks, will result in a bloodbath, with them at an unfortunate disadvantage.

It was about three days after he had been claimed by the goddess of love as her son, and two days after he moved out of the Hermes cabin (thank _gods,_ because he didn't think he could stand another day of getting flour-bombed every morning by the troublesome trio). 

Jeonghan turns to Seungcheol and feels the other getting restless. Jeonghan had volunteered to guard the flag rather than face their opponents — or, alternatively, run from them or beg to spare him — out in the forest while Mingyu, another kid he's grown extremely fond of, was with his siblings, their team's first line of defense from the opposing cabins. Joshua, a brother of his, is with them as well. 

Jeonghan knew it was a bad idea to let Seungcheol go to where they heard Mingyu's screams come from, only opting to nod dumbly at Seungcheol's orders and stare at the other's retreating figure as he was swallowed inside the forest.

Unfortunately, along with Seungcheol's disappearance was the first thing the Apollo kid had advised him before disappearing: stay alert. 

It was too late to notice Wonwoo creeping up from behind him, and he could only yelp in shock as someone sweeps him off his feet, quite literally, making him fall flat on his face.

Jeonghan strains his neck to get a good look at his attacker, only to splutter in surprise when he sees a sliver of Wonwoo's familiar, silver hair glinting under the moonlight. Said man's knee was also planted on his back, along with a smirk on his face. "Well, fancy meeting you here."

"Get off me!"

Jeonghan squirms under the Athena kid's hold, arms flailing at any chance to pull him out from under. His attempts at an escape turned futile considering that Wonwoo was stronger than him in more ways than Jeonghan would like to admit. He didn't even budge from all the wriggling Jeonghan did.

"Not yet. I would like to thank you first for your contribution to our win tonight." 

"Fuck off and fuck you, Jeon." 

"And I love you too, Yoon," Wonwoo teases. 

Both of them hear shuffling from where the flag stood, bearing the symbols of the three cabins who are about to lose in any second. Jeonghan curses Seungcheol for leaving him on his own, and could only watch helplessly as kids from the Hermes cabin take the win to their hands.

It was just when the horn signaling the end of the game was when Wonwoo took his knee off Jeonghan's back. He shoves the other when he finally got the chance to stand up. Wonwoo chuckles at a pouting Jeonghan, pulling something from his boot. 

When the rest of the teams were exiting the forest and the victor's cheers were fading in the distance, he pulls Jeonghan behind and takes the other's hand, placing a dagger, the one Wonwoo had put work in pulling from the ground from the first time they've met, on his palm.

"Here. Take this." 

"What?" 

"You need to learn how to arm yourself, Jeonghan. It's not all the time that it's going to be _just_ games. I want you to take this and protect yourself." 

Jeonghan silently thanks the gods that the night is completely dark to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. He grips the weapon tight, marveling at how the moon reflects on its blade.

"Thank you."

Wonwoo ruffles his hair. 

Before completely walking away to follow the rest of his team, Wonwoo looks back at the older, a soft smile on his lips. "But I do hope you know that I will never let anything bad happen to you, Jeonghan."

"Wonwoo, what's the thing?" Jeonghan absentmindedly asks, fingers clasping the air as he struggles to think of what he is supposed to bring for his and Soonyoung's trip back home.

Wonwoo hums, putting his book down on the bed and reaches for the hair straightener on Jeonghan's bedside table without a word uttered. Jeonghan mumbles a small thanks as he continues to pack his things, then proceeds to ask the other for any stuff he might've missed. 

Which was a whole awful lot. Wonwoo ended up packing for Jeonghan at the last minute much to the Aphrodite cabin (especially Joshua's) amusement.

Wonwoo dutifully folded Jeonghan's clothes as the older busied himself by putting an excessive amount of colorful hair clips in the younger's purple hair, letting out a small coo at the messy space bun he managed to do in the midst of it all. Wonwoo could only roll his eyes and grumble under his breath. 

They stared at Jeonghan ridiculously and concluded that that love is something even a goddess of love's child couldn't completely control, but would only be supposed to know how to deal with what follows. They all knew Jeonghan would eventually have it hit him out of nowhere, when he least expects it, smacking him with the fullest force their mother has that'll leave him breathless and a little rattled for days end. 

Looking at Wonwoo's fond look at Jeonghan, which will be a much different look if it was any other person touching his hair — like Soonyoung, for example — as the older continues on putting pretty hair clips on his hair, they all hope it's soon. 

Jeonghan sighs in defeat as he sees Wonwoo sitting on his bed inside the Aphrodite cabin.

It was a ridiculous plan to avoid someone he had been joined to the hip ever since he arrived at the camp, much less when Wonwoo knows all his schedules to heart (curse his ability to remember every detail about Jeonghan, and, of course, adding the help of his traitorous brother Joshua). Most of the time, Jeonghan thinks Wonwoo knows him better than he knows himself (probably true).

"Oh, you're here," Wonwoo says, casually leaning against his bed's headboard.

He had a book perched on his lap, abandoned, as he turned to stare down at the Aphrodite kid. Jeonghan shifts his attention to his feet, begrudgingly walking closer to where Wonwoo was and puts his things on the table beside it. He ignores how Wonwoo's eyes follow him, even when they make eye contact through Jeonghan's vanity mirror. 

Jeonghan anxiously plays with his fingers, suddenly hyper-aware of Wonwoo's movements. Unsurprisingly, the Aphrodite cabin is void of people, even Hyungwon who usually spends all his time in the cabin almost every day. Joshua, too, who said he was going to go rock climbing with Seungcheol even though they both know that the younger hates getting his hair singed by the lava that spews from the wall, but Jeonghan doesn't question it. "So, uh. What are you doing here, Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo raises his brow, "You tell me." He closes his book, arms crossed. "You barely talk to me during free hours, Joshua informed me that you've been so dedicated to avoiding me that you signed in all the camp activities I wasn't part of. I haven't seen even the slightest hint of your shadow throughout camp and I was too busy to actively look for you. I don't know what to make of it, Jeonghan. Is it because of the hair?" Wonwoo gently says, the last question seemingly for himself rather than for Jeonghan. 

Jeonghan avoids looking at the said mess that started the chaos inside his head.

"Joshua told you that?" Jeonghan tuts, immediately shrinking in his seat after Wonwoo glared at him. He'd have to deal with Joshua later. "I mean, no. Yes, partly. I don't know. It started with that, I guess."

"Stop buying time."

Even under the tense atmosphere that they are both causing, Wonwoo remains calm and casual — a stark contrast to how Jeonghan's heart is like a wild beast threatening to break through a cage. It was hard to concentrate on the hair abomination, but Jeonghan focused more on calming himself down than blurting a remark about Wonwoo's hair for a futile attempt to lighten the mood. He knows it's now or never. 

Wonwoo patiently waits, only staring as different emotions flicker on Jeonghan's face. 

Finally, "Jihoon was right."

"Jihoon is right about a lot of things. I'm not sure what is it this time," the Athena kid prods further, continuing to watch intently as the other's brows furrow and his lips turn into a frown — a sight he had seen often, especially when they're studying.

From the bed, he can hear the gears turning inside Jeonghan's head, wanting to collect his thoughts as comprehensively as possible. He scoots closer to the man, like he always does, and taps Jeonghan's forehead softly, smoothening the crease that formed on the older's face. 

Jeonghan stares at him, even after he has pulled his hand back to his lap. There is the familiar emotion swimming inside his eyes, and Wonwoo was brought back to the time he first met the guy. 

"I'm _so_ in love with you, Jeon Wonwoo," he blurts out, rendering both of them speechless. 

Wonwoo breaks out of it first, mouth agape. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "Could you repeat that again, Jeonghan?" 

"I'm in love with you. Even with your fucked up hair," Jeonghan buries his face in his hands, too embarrassed to see Wonwoo's reaction. His confession was clipped, rushed, and obviously awkward, but he continues. "I'm so in love with you that you can shave your hair bald and I'd still look at you as if you single-handedly put all the stars in the skies. I've always been in love with you but I'm just too scared to actually face it. I cannot lose you, Wonwoo — umph."

In a split second, he feels his head getting lifted up and Wonwoo's lips crashing into his before Jeonghan could even say anything more. Jeonghan swallowed back a wince when Wonwoo clumsily grazed his teeth in his lips in the process, mumbling a small sorry before continuing. 

Wonwoo's lips against his were something so foreign, and Jeonghan was willing to devote his life trying to familiarize himself with it. Once they've settled into a more comfortable position, the taste of strawberry and mint perfectly mixing together; their mouths move slowly, carefully, as if testing the waters.

Jeonghan opens his eyes into the kiss to see Wonwoo doing the same with an emotion Jeonghan now knows what holds. He hopes his own are reassuring Wonwoo the same. 

The younger smiles, as if he received the message, hands cupping Jeonghan's face, left-hand thumb rubbing against the older's cheeks gently. 

Jeonghan laughs, Wonwoo follows suit — but neither of them is breaking the kiss. Jeonghan clings on Wonwoo as if there's no tomorrow, scared that this is somehow a very cruel dream. Jeonghan refuses to close his eyes. "I love you, Jeon Wonwoo. From the beginning," Wonwoo breathes in Jeonghan's whispers, tickling his chest with so much warmth that he can't help but to pepper Jeonghan's face with kisses.

"And I love you, Jeonghan. I'll love you even after the end," Wonwoo murmurs.

He stops cupping Jeonghan's face, holds the older's hands instead, and stares into his eyes. "I've always known, Jeonghan," he adds, breathless. His grip on Jeonghan tightens. "I've always known. It took you long enough to realize that we thought I'd have to go to Tartarus at some point." 

"Fuck you. You could've just told me," Jeonghan steals a kiss this time. He couldn't help it, not when Wonwoo's own is a few inches away from his. He curses himself this time for wasting so much time when he could've been calling Jeon Wonwoo his all this time.

"I'm sorry that it took me a while," he kisses Wonwoo again, and again, and again, much to the younger's delight. 

"It's okay. I'm always willing to wait if it's you."

"Honestly Jeonghan," a voice, which sounded a lot like Soonyoung's, cuts through the silence that followed after that.

Jeonghan looks over Wonwoo's shoulder to see not only one, but ten faces (that's as much as the Aphrodite Cabin's window could fit in, Jeonghan could barely make out the only-visible forehead underneath the pile, and Joshua's smart enough to watch the scene unfold from the door rather than in a cramped space).

"We don't even need to be Aphrodite's children to figure it all out, you were completely all over Wonwoo on your first day of camp!" 

"I wasn't really asking for your opinion, Soonyoung!" He claps back, all smiles.

Wonwoo snakes his arms around Jeonghan as the older continues to bicker with the Hermes kid, mouthing thanks to Joshua who was standing by the door. 

Wonwoo turns his back and looks at their intruders; the rest of their group squishing themselves at the very little space the small window besides Jeonghan's mirror has.

Wonwoo can see Mingyu's green hair peeking from behind Seungcheol; Seungkwan and Seokmin were wearing matching grins; Iris' child, Hansol, quiet but equally rambunctious around close friends, whooping from the lower-left corner of the window; Chan, who he learns was underneath all the mess, powers his face through the window, giving both of them a thumbs-up while his cheeks were squished against the glass. Then there's Jihoon, perfectly unbothered in the middle, unable to physically hide his glee with a smile reaching his eyes, beside him were the squished faces of Jun and Minghao, with the latter finally understanding the reason behind Wonwoo's bad haircut. 

Jeonghan, despite being flushed red at the amount of attention, leans to the other's touch. "What the _Hades_ are you all doing there?" 

"We were all witnesses to the seemingly endless pining for five years, Jeonghan. Cut us some slack and kiss him some more. We've waited long enough," Jihoon winks at him, the rest hollering in unison.

Jeonghan thinks he'd let it slide this time, leaning toward to kiss Wonwoo again, the shouts and cheers all becoming white noise to him as he melts into their kiss.

("Are you sure that will work?" Wonwoo asks Joshua, his voice laced with mild concern. "I think it will be better for me to just confess. If ever he rejects me, I'll respect that."

Jihoon is slowly spinning on his swivel chair. Seungcheol is thoughtfully considering Joshua's suggestion from another chair besides Jihoon, tapping his pen monotonously on the table, struggling to think of something that could contribute to Wonwoo's problem.

It had been almost four years since the Athena kid came to them for advice, and despite not having a clue on how to deal with the complications of feelings, agreed to help.

They had recruited Joshua later on, Jeonghan's sibling who was currently sitting on the sofa inside Jihoon's studio beside Wonwoo, seemingly lost in thought, too. 

"Hey, how about…" Mingyu, who the rest of the group didn't know how he got inside and how much he has heard, speaks up.

Everyone turns to look at him and simultaneously shake their heads in refusal, not at all surprised by his sudden appearance. 

Jihoon's quaint studio is big enough to fit all thirteen people in their friendship circle (though Jihoon wouldn't possibly allow that if he wants to avoid the whole bunker going into flames), located at the far-end corner of the forest where campers are usually prohibited to wander in, its door purposely hidden in plain sight. 

Wonwoo was only one of the few who knows of it, having followed the man whom he was suspicious of for disappearing on hours end and only coming back to camp for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

The Apollo kid had all kinds of music equipment and instruments taking homage inside, a few enthralling paintings adorning its walls and thousands of scrolls perched on its shelves, next to it are the words "Woozi's studio" in the colors of rose quartz and serenity glowing in neon lights. It's either music playing nonstop or nothing but the cicadas at night can be heard. 

Wonwoo personally loves spending time inside the room. It was quiet, isolated, and Jihoon never really bothers to make conversation when he's in the zone, perfect for when Wonwoo's reading or studying. It looks like the others have the same thought, considering that most of them are here. 

Mingyu whines, "Oh come on! You haven't even heard it yet." 

"We don't need to."

Mingyu pouts. Chan, another uninvited guest — where are they all even coming from? — pats his head in consolation. Hansol, too, while munching on some potato chips he probably must've gotten from Jihoon's not-so-secret stash. 

"I've read a few articles on the web about it. Also, don't be ridiculous, Wonwoo, you can admit that you know that Jeonghan has a crush on you, seriously, no one is blind enough not to see it but him — we just need to know up to what extent. We need him to figure out how _much_ he's in it. It'll be a win-win situation. Come on Wonwoo, what do we have to lose?" Joshua speaks up after a beat.

"Uh, my reputation? And since when do we trust the Internet, Joshua?" 

Wonwoo scoffs at Mingyu's "What reputation?" and ignores Joshua's "Oh, nevermind that."

He tilts his head in contemplation, looking over at Jihoon and Seungcheol for approval. They both shrug, not at all a help to Wonwoo's internal decision making.

Finally, he slumps his shoulders in defeat. He didn't have any ideas on what to do, anyway. It is without a doubt that Joshua knows a lot about feelings more than everyone else in the room combined, so Wonwoo can't help but trust the Aphrodite kid's judgment. 

"Alright. Do any of you know where I can get bright-colored hair dyes?")

**Author's Note:**

> if ever some of you are confused with their godly parentage —
> 
> aphrodite: jeonghan, joshua  
> apollo: jihoon, seungcheol  
> ares: chan  
> athena: wonwoo  
> demeter: junhui  
> dionysus: minghao  
> hermes: seungkwan, seokmin, soonyoung  
> iris: hansol  
> hephaestus: mingyu
> 
> * i loosely based jihoon's studio from bunker 9. no, i don't think jeonghan would've ever known where it is.  
> * joshua wasn't aware of the place's existence before.  
> * mingyu, chan and hansol weren't also supposed to know about the location of the studio.  
> * it's off-limits for seokmin, seungkwan and soonyoung.  
> * and yeah, jihoon's producer moniker is woozi and he writes for that boy group svt what about it? they'll never know. 
> 
> other notes:  
> * my apologies for any grammatical errors or inconsistencies heheh <3
> 
> update, october 4: happiest birthday to our one and only yoon jeonghan whose face can rival even the goddess of beauty herself. it always feels like coming home to warm hugs when it comes to you. love you. always. 
> 
> hmu at @nonuwonus, im new


End file.
